Is medication for allergies safe during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, when it comes to various health
conditions, some medications would be considered safe, some would be considered unknown,
and some would be recommended to be completely avoided. The Food and Drug Administration
places medications into categories A, B, C, or D based upon their safety
levels.

For instance, Claritin is a category B drug, which
means that animal studies have shown no known risks to their fetuses, but there are no
human studies. Benadryl is also considered to be safe. However, especially during the
first trimester, women are often encouraged to take medications with extreme moderation
and weight the benefits against any possible risks. Medicines in category A would be
considered the safest, but there are few medicines in this category. On the other hand,
Ibuprofen (sold under brand names such as Advil and Motrin) is a category D drug and
considered to be unsafe during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester.
However, it should certainly be avoided all throughout pregnancy or even when trying to
conceive.